Gaming systems are designed around the thrill of winning. Gamblers wager something of value, i.e. money or credits, for the chance to win even more. Personal preferences abound regarding styles of gaming, however. Some prefer to play for a relatively long time without much change in their holdings. For example, some players prefer to start with a certain size “bank” of credits, and enjoy winning and losing relatively small amounts compared to their bank, or their individual game wagers, over time. These players may wager only a few credits, repeatedly, and prefer such low-volatility games that do not typically award extremely high wins, but award them relatively frequently.
Other players find more thrill with volatile style of play. Such players will often bet the “max” bet and will sustain losses for a relatively long time, or in a relatively large amount in comparison to their wagers or credit bank, in search of the big payoff.
This chance of loss is important for both entertainment reasons and to allow the game operator to profit. By providing wins and losses of varying amounts, depending on game outcome but according to a known paytable, an advantage to the game operator can be ensured over a statistically significant large number of games. Individual players may win or lose any particular game, or gaming session, but, over a long period of time, the odds statistically favor the house. This “house advantage” is important because it allows the game operator to operate a business that offers the games for the enjoyment of the customers.
Gaming paytables are set by controlling authorities, and are not easily changeable. Because not all paytables provide a good match for the style of play of every player, there exists an enjoyment chasm where a player may enjoy a game more were there more or different paytable options available.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other limitations of the prior art.